Mithril M511 Rohir warrior with quilted armour and sword (2009)

Too long I have been painting static Mithril miniatures representing book characters or travellers, and I needed a diversion: a proper armed hero that could be used in any tabletop game. I rummaged through my two cartons of unpainted, still blistered Mithril miniatures (my source of shame) to find this: the 2009 Rohir warrior with quilted armour, sword and shield.

Boy, I needed this. The detail isn't extreme - it doesn't reach the glory of 1980s-90s issues - but it's still ok. The pose is also likeable: it certainly has character. It represents well a warrior inciting his companions to fight.

The sculpt is part of the Helm's Deep Part 1 series, called Gamling's Rally. I enjoyed painting it, although if I could go back I would change the red of the tunic (Vallejo Model Color Burnst Cad. Red), which is too glossy for my taste. On the other hand, I'm very happy with the glaze transition of the shield: that's the green I was looking for.

Mutant Fimir - Citadel C25 Fimir

Through eBay I got this mismatched body and head of a Fimir, the tail missing. It sat for some time in my "to paint" tray until a post from Richard Irvine's blog inspired me to work on it. A mutant Fimir? Well, why not?

There wasn't much to do on mine, actually, just adding a tail. So I had my fun with drill, copper wire and greenstuff, and topped the thing with a spare head from the Citadel Plastic Zombie kit.

And then, of course, I went creative with colours. A purple Fimir? Well if you go to the marshes at dusk or dawn, that's the colour of the sky and water. Here goes the fluff:

Gelsch-dahd was born with an unusual colour and a missing tail, and he was marked as mutant by the Meargh of his clan. Being mutant was an auspicious sign, but being tail-less was also a handicap: so he was taken under the protective wing of Dirach Shuhul, to be his personal guard. When reaching adult age, Shuhul had visions Gelsch-dahd should go on a quest to the lands of the East, beyond the river Lynsk, known as Troll Country. There Gelsch-dahd fought against men and beasts learning might and cunning. Wounded and hanging to his last spark of life, he had a vision of the Daemon-god Fimùl praising him. After a sleep that seemed eternal, Gelsch-dahd awoke, healed from his wounds and changed. A human-like head now lay at the end of a long tail, and this head could see and speak according to Gelsch-dahd's desires. His return to his clan saw him celebrated as champion of the Fimir and he became a leader among the warriors. The Dead Face of the Marsh, he was named, and became the terror of the neighbouring Human settlements.